An off beat look at Indonesian and South East Asian football from the terraces or the pub

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Monday, June 01, 2015

Indonesian Football At Crossroads. Again

Indonesian football has been under suspension for a few days now and it seems the government is not too concerned. Their stance has always been they are trying to clean up the game and of course the game does need a bllody good scouring.

Change is unlikely to come from within. The people who get to the top do so by securing support at the provincial and regional associations, people who have their own ambitions and agenda and who are using football as a short cut to the corridors of power. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas and the regional associations are not going to vote for something that will see them lose power, influence and access to cash.

But is the government the right body to clean up the game? Cynics may argue they cannot keep the streets, the rivers or the seas clean, what chance do they have with football? Chances are no matter what they do it will involve handing out positions to their mates who have been lobbying hard for their own place at a table, any table offering the triple attraction of power, influence and cash.

The current PSSI is closely identified with one political party. If the government forces a new one to be created then they will be associated with another party. As were are seeing with the FIFA bullshit despite their fine words football is inextricably with politics around the world; access to so much cash and so many people is an attractive come hither for the politically ambitious and even a government with the best intentions will struggle to overcome that particular filibuster.